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DSU continues road action at Augustana; plays in Hampton Inn Classic
November 21, 2011
THIS WEEK: Dakota State (4-3 overall record) continues their action on the road this week. The Trojans take on No. 16-ranked NCAA Division II Augustana (2-2) in an exhibition game on Tuesday night at Elmen Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. DSU will play in the two-day Hampton Inn Classic this weekend in Bellevue, Neb.
TELEVISION: Midco Sports Network will carry a live broadcast of DSU-Augustana men's basketball game from the Elmen Center on Tuesday night. Midco Sports Network can be found on channels 26 or 622 for Midcontinent Communication subscribers.
HAMPTON INN CLASSIC: Dakota State will face two teams from the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) in the Hampton Inn Classic this weekend. The Trojans face York (Neb.) (5-2) on Friday and host-team No.4-ranked Bellevue (Neb.) (4-3) on Saturday. Both games will start at 5 p.m. at Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
LAST TIME OUT: DSU split a pair of games last week. The Trojans fell short to their in-state rival Dakota Wesleyan 70-69 on Nov. 15 at DSU Fieldhouse. Augustana's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's foe, Northern State, got tested by Dakota State in DSU's exhibition game on Nov. 18. The Trojans jumped to a 41-40 halftime lead before the Wolves took charge in the second-half. DSU erased their 15-point deficit and trailed by two points with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The Trojans fell short 84-77 to the Wolves. DSU bounced back in the winning column on Nov. 19 as they limited Trinity Bible (N.D.) to 29.1 percent shooting from the field for DSU's 72-48 win.
LAST MEETING: Dakota State ended their 12-game losing streak versus Augustana last season. The Trojans held on for a 52-51 exhibition game victory over the Vikings on Nov. 26, 2010 at the Elmen Center. DSU and Augustana will meet for the 35th time in series history, which dated back in the 1920s and 1930s where the Trojans and Vikings were long-time frequent competitors for the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference. Dakota State will face York for the first time in school history on Friday night. The Trojans are 2-0 in all-time series with Bellevue.
KEEP REBOUNDING: According to the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)-DakStats statistical website as of Monday, Dakota State ranks 12th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (15.1). The Trojans are 13th in the nation in total rebounds per game (43.4) and 18th in defensive rebounds per game (28.3). DSU is 35th in the nation in total rebound margin with a plus-5.3.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Dakota State ranks 14th in the NAIA in total assists with 121. The Trojans are 15th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (38.9 percent). DSU is 32nd in the nation in scoring offense (548).
QUICK LEADERS: Donald Stewart leads the Trojans in scoring with 13.6 points per game. He shots 53.3 percent from the field. Keith Biggers averages 6.6 rebounds per game for DSU. Yusef Gray each dish out 3.6 assists per game. Gray records eight steals (1.3 average) for the Trojans. Cameron Krump leads the team with six blocked shots. Keith Lee ranks 23th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio of 3.5. Jesse Bean shoots 85.2 percent from the free-throw line, which is 30th in the nation.
COACHES' CORNER: Gary Garner is entering his third year as Dakota State University men's basketball head coach. Garner's collegiate experience is primarily on the Division I and II levels. Prior to Dakota State, he has served as the assistant coach for Iowa Energy, a team with the NBA Development League, for two seasons. He served as head basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University from 1997-2006. From 1991-1997, he led the men's team at Fort Hays State University. His 1995-1996 team won the NCAA Division II Tournament, capping a perfect 34-0 season. The same year, Garner was named the NCAA II Bulletin National Coach of the Year and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Coach of the Year. In June 2011, Garner was inducted in the RMAC Hall of Fame for his successful coaching ear at Fort Hays State University.
COACH MATTHEW GARNER: Matthew Garner is in his third season with the Dakota State University men's basketball coaching staff. He comes to DSU with a wide background of coaching experience. He was a member of the 1995-96 undefeated Fort Hays State University NCAA Division II National Championship team that finished an overall record of 34-0. In addition to his tenure at FHSU, he was an integral part of four conference championship as a player and a volunteer student assistant coach. After his tenure at Fort Hays State, he joined the coaching staff at NCAA Division I Southeast Missouri State University. He also had coaching experience at University of Denver.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Dakota State men's basketball and athletics all season long at www.dsuathletics.com. The Trojans are also on Twitter, just log onto www.twitter.com/DaSUAthletics.
LIVE STATS: Follow DSU-Augustana live stats and play-by-play at www.GoAugie.com/livestats. The live stats are available on game day on www.dsuathletics.com under 'Live Games' tab above the 'Upcoming Events.'
WATCH IT: Fans can follow the DSU-Augustana live video online at www.GoAugie.com/webcast.
UP NEXT: Dakota State will play a pair of games next week. The Trojans travel to Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 30 to take on AIB College of Business at 7:30 p.m. DSU returns home on Dec. 3 as they host their former Dakota Athletic Conference foe Mayville State for their second meeting of the season. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at DSU Fieldhouse in Madison, S.D.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
